Not a very fun mountain to be on once the sun hit. The snow was murder to get through . During the climb I cursed myself many times for not climbing this thing during the summer months. But the semi-solitude was nice with just me and two other climbers on the peak. Definately a climb that requires an ice axe in crampons even in the late spring.

Packed parking lot -- as expected -- with people arriving as late as 1 a.m. and others starting out at 2:30 a.m. Our group of 9 started at 5:15 and took our sweet time up to the gorgeous summit views and back for a 10-hour round trip. Weather was perfect, and our group leader Mike made sure all made it without incident. Steep, dusty, busy trail.

We left at 4:30 am with headlamps on. Had just rained the night before so it was a very cool morning. Totally clear skies with just a little wind. As we cleared the tree line the wind picked up and went from a little chilly to very cold, wind chill had to below freezing. Enjoyed chicken out ridge extremely, a very fun challenge. No snow where the snow bridge was supposed to be. I was rather disappointed about that. Heading up the face of the peak was a little scary at times. The rain from the night before had dropped a little snow, but we made it to the top unscathed. We, along with a partner we found during the climb up, were the first to summit that day just shortly after 9:00. It felt so good to get out of the shadow of the mountain and feel some sun on us. We stayed on top for a little over an hour and then headed back down. Luckily the sun had started to melt some of the ice that was on the face from the rainstorm the night before. I took the video camera and got some excellent footage. A walking stick or trekking poles is highly recommended. Found a few people turning around at chicken out. Overall a wonderful climb on a beautiful day.

Relentless and beautiful !! Views that rival or surpass any other N.A. peak. Not your standard walk up. On any given day, above the lower ridges you could be challanged to your maximum.

Be prepared as the route "feels" longer that the the 3.5 miles advertised. It is especially steep in the treeline and the summit block. There is no marked or standard route through the Chicken Out Ridge area. There are several "trails" in this zone that can lead you into various levels of high exposure and dead ends. In my opinion, stay on the high side of the ridge when ever possible.

Some would technically rate the climb at a 3.15. Do not let this be your generic guide, carry a length or at least 50' of rope to ease the exposure of exit and re-entry to Chicken Out Ridge to and from the summit block, especially if your are solo.

With all that being said, I can understand why many of the the 15 climbers I encountered on my summit day were on there second attempt.

A fun but hard climb. Took 4:45 up with my 2 friends, one who had climbed it before. A good suggestion is having someone who has some idea of the trail with you. In the chickenout ridge area, it is semi confusing on what way to go, based on the opinions of others this day. But my friend led us up. A fair amount of hand usage and take it slow and chicken out ridge is fairly easy. Don't be stupid and forget sunscreen, my biggest mistake looking at myself now, ouch! Great climb and well worth the hours of work. See my page at http://www.geocities.com/rob_5229/index.htm for pictures.

Left the trailhead @ 5:00 am with headlamps on, had perfect weather, temp was a little warm without any wind. Hit the summit @ 8:30 spent around an hour checking out the views (most pleasant). We than descended, and made it back to the car by 11:00 am.

2nd attempt on this mtn. - got weathered off Memorial Day '02. Left Portland after work at 6pm, drove thru. the night (675 miles) and started climbing at 7am. My wife sprained her ankle at about 9000 foot level but neither one of us wanted to turn around and have to come back again to do this one so we continued. Crowds galore!!! Initially, had our doubts if Blondie (our dog) would be able to make the summit, but after seeing the summit-bound crowd at the TH, our doubts were dissipated. Blondie had no issues. Beautiful views from summit. This late in the season, there was really nothing to the Chickenout Ridge - the snow slope on either side of the ridge could not have been more than about 25 degrees with nice runout below. This was really the only place on the route where you hit snow (all 40 feet of it) - no need for ice ax or crampons this late. Bring plenty of water.

Borah is a great climb. It was on the cold side the day I climbed it, but the wind wasn't too strong. The 5200' vertical gain over 3.5 miles is fairly steep, but the views are great. There was not one other person on the mountain the day I climbed it.

Great climb! Left the trailhead at 6 and summited at about 10. Cloudless day, seems like you could see forever. Chicken out ridge was awesome. Would recommend ice axe for crossing places along chicken out ridge but is not necessary there is still a-lot of snow on the ridges but nice footholds were kicked in by the end of the day. Make sure to stay high along chicken out ridge, went low at first and it gets a little hairy. The rocks are sharp so bring some gloves. Definitely more than a just a hike, seems like some of the switchbacks needed switchbacks, and scrambling along the ridge was technical but manageable. 3 other groups summited also, one with a guy with one leg, one with a eleven-yr old kid who had climbed Denali earlier in the year. Camping at the trailhead is really nice. Any questions feel free to email me at nicstover@yahoo.com.

After reading someone's opinion that maybe a cable ladder should be installed on Chicken Out Ridge for safety, I thought I better climb it now before this happens! A light snowfall several days before kept most people away. Great views. Much fun!

No snow to 10,000', then mixed rock and snow. My 5 yr old son and I stopped at the top end of chicken-out ridge. We weren't wearing gators and his feet got wet and cold. My wife continued on with some route-finding difficulty on the summit ridge to the top. Was glad to have her ice axe with, but the snow was soft. Nice views, good mild weather, but later in the season (without the snow) the trail above the snow colouir and above the saddle are easier than following ridgeline. 20 other people on the route that day.

My Friend Doug and I - This was our First real Snow climb other than Diamond Peak, Id. The snow was great. The mountain looked so awesome covered in its white blanket. Used Snow shoes from the parking lot up to the start of chicken out ridge where we setup base camp. It snowed 4-6 inches overnight but not a big deal. Saturday morning woke up early (5am) and hit the snow at 6am . The sun was just coming up and made for a wonderful sunrise. Snow shoed up chicken out ridge until just before the top where we switched over to crampons. Negotiating chicken out ridge was fun but must be careful and stay between that fine line between the Rock and the Cornices. The 2 couloirs where indeed challenging. We stayed on the ridge line to the top were we summited at 3pm. This was a beautiful sunny day and could see for miles. This climb was the toughest climb i have ever done due to the snow we had to work thru. By the time the day was over and we were back to the car we felt like laying down and die but thankful to our families we survived. This was a once in a lifetime adventure not to be repeated ....? Um maybe.....

Route Climbed: The only way you really can Date Climbed: 7-31-93, 8-8-98, 8-5-00

I love to climb Borah. Its a tough hike but well worth it. Each time i climb it i do it faster and faster. Its not that tall but its a tough one. If you get a chance to climb borah, in the words of Tom Cruise "Go For It!"